Slender Man Inspired Two Girls to Stab Classmate

Two girls from Wisconsin, are accused of stabbing their classmate to appease the fictional boogeyman Slender Man. A judge has just ruled on Friday that the two girls will be tried as adults for the attempted murder of their classmate. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren decided to try the girls as adults after weighing the decision over the last month, after the girls preliminary hearing in February. Both of the girls involved in the stabbing and the victim were 12 at the time of the attack. The name of the victim was Payton Leutner. The girls who committed the stabbing have not been named as of yet, in the event that their cases are sent back to juvenile court.

The reason for the attack was, that the two assailants believed that if they did not kill their classmate their families would be killed by the fictional Slender Man. The attorneys for the girls both argued that the judge should be throwing the case out, based on the fact that they had both legitimately believed that the only way to protect their families from the Slender Man, was to kill their friend. They say that this is a mitigating factor in the trial and warrants a charge of second degree homicide.

The victim was stabbed 19 times by her two friends, who were reportedly planning the murder months in advance. In order to stab Leutner, the two girls invited her to a sleepover, then had her follow them into a wooded area in Waukesha County. After the stabbing, the girls then walked toward Nicolet National Forest in northeast Wisconsin. They decided to head to Nicolet National Forrest because they believed that they were going to live with Slender Man in his mansion. Why they believed this, is very unclear. On their way, they were apprehended by the police. Leutner barely survived the attack, with one of the stab wounds just barely missing her heart. She was found by a passing cyclist.

The Slender Man myth is one made up entirely in the last six years. The origin of the Slender Man can be traced back to one man, Eric Knudsen, who created the myth on a forum site for Photoshop artists. After his debut on the forums the Slender Man mythology just grew and grew from various other bloggers and forum members. Slender Man is not an ancient mythical creature, but the first true digital age boogeyman, an urban legend created on the internet by bloggers and Photoshop enthusiasts. The story given to the fictional Slender Man, is that he is a shadow being, that stalks people in the woods or in abandoned buildings until his victims go mad.

It is tragic that this had to happen, though. It is always horrible when children are assaulted or worse murdered. The fact that this stabbing was done in the name of the fictional Slender Man character makes the story horrendous. The parents, so far, have given no comments on the case. It is a shame that the Slender Man myth has inspired two young girls to stab their former friend and classmate.